JabberJay-ed
by typicalRAinbow
Summary: AU oneshot: Haymitch volunteers for the Quarter Quell instead of Peeta. And Effie is forced to listen as the jabberjays now scream with a capitol accent… Hayffie and Everlark.


Hey look what I made rather then finishing my essays! Based off amd loving ripping off these tumblr posts by abernathytrinkets, mmmahogany and she-loves-shipping Hope you enjoy.

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"One minute till the next section chimes in." Effie confirms, checking her roughly drawn out schedule of what they now know of the arena. "We haven't seen it in action yet."

"They're not in the active zone. They should be okay." Peeta mutters. Effie isn't sure if it's to reassure her or himself but she nods focusing on Haymitch's bangle, glad Finnick has given it back to him as soon after they'd formed their allegiance, even if Katniss looks as though she's itching to run from the pack. You're a team now, just like we're a team, Effie thinks willing her victors to stay together for as long as they could.

Haymitch had promised Katniss to keep Peeta alive and volunteered in his place but had promised Peeta to keep Katniss alive even if it meant keeping them all in dark until the very last minute.. Effie hated them for it for putting her and Peeta through this tenter-hooked hell of watching them. Well, Hated them as much as she loves them. She'd been knocked for six when after she'd pulled Peeta's name from the bowl and Haymitch had stepped forward. But it was all part of the plan. Haymitch and Cinna had told her what was to happen- not all of it, just what she need to do when the time and how Plutarch would summon them. And then she, Cinna, Portia and Peeta would be safe in the mysterious thirteen along with Katniss and her mentor and they'd all be reunited again.

But they hadn't planned for Cinna's disappearance. Nor that of the prep team.

Portia, puffy eyed from a night of worry sits nearby on the couch. Peeta had started the day in a suit as they entertained possible sponsors but those few hours are used up now lies back into the sofa in shirt sleeves, far too much like Haymitch would be for Effie to relax.

Peeta's tired, not sleeping right and it's all Effie can do to make sure he isn't harassed by reporters as he watches the girl he loves one year on once again go through hell again.  
Effies's tired too not sleeping right either and it's all Peeta can do to make sure he is as charming as possible to their capitol fans as she watches the man she's been in love with for so long go through hell again, twenty five years later.

"Look!" Portica says suddenly. One of the live feeds has cut from where Katniss and Finnick are taping water from a tree to further in the forest, not far away from where the victors have set up camp as they can still be made out through the greenery. Something dark flapped and flutters past the camera again. "What do you think that was?"

"I think they're Birds. I hope they aren't like those monkey mutts-" Effie puzzles as the camera panned out before worry and realisation dawned on her. "Oh my goodness."

"what is it? Effie?"

"Haymitch's games. There was birds in there- what if it's like Maysiee all over again?"

Peeta paled and focusesses back on the screen. "There's no pretty pink plumes or long sharp beaks of the Poisen Paridise. they're just jabberjays." Peeta sighs in relief.

His smile fades as quickly as it had come. "an awful lot of jabber jays. But They should be safe on the beach."

No sooner has he says those words then there's a tortured, horrible scream from the rafters of the forest. It's calling for Katniss, and the poor girl shots off like rocket in the direction it came from crying back calling for her little sister.

"Was that-? That- that can't have been Primrose!" Effie gasped, chilled to the bone.

Katniss stops suddenly pulling an arrow from her quiver and shooting a jabberjay out the air. Then just as Odair catches up to her, another cry echoes through the television speakers and Finnick abandons chasing Katniss and runs head long in to the undergrowth shouting for his Annie.

"Oh no. Oh no not her too." Portica groans softly. "Not after Ms Mags volunteered to replace her."

On another camera, Haymitch has heard the yelling and gives chase, along with Beetee and Johanna. Beetee is too weak to go far and Haymitch isn't quite as fast enough to catch up. Johanna might have caught them but her axe suddenly snags on a branch and she stumbles back, so Haymitch runs on ahead following Katniss.

"It's a trap." Peeta realises. But it's too late. Johanna gets up but her path is suddenly blocked and begins hammering on the force field as she and Beetee can only watch on helplessly, much like the team members in the apartment.

But Effie's mind is still a whirl. What was Katniss's sweet little sister doing in the arena? And Annie too. Had the game makers lost their wits? Apparently not as the screen splits in to two one half jungle the other the commentary box where Flickerman is explaining what exactly was going on.

"The birds themselves aren't the next section. It's their voices. Don't worry dear viewers no one outside the arena has been harmed despite what our tributes might think and it will be over when the hour is up." He smiles sadly as he lets the audience in on secret, how the screams aren't real, just recording that's been tampered with then taught to flocks of jabberjays, who are designed to play with the tributes mindset.

He demonstrates with Effie's voice.

An interview is brought up from the previous year. It's after the feast. Katniss and Peeta had made it to the finale five and the Effie Trinket on screen sits opposite a blue haired Caesar trying to sell the star crossed lovers story one more time.

"And of course Haymitch and I helping them in any way and any means we can. So please if you are able to sponcer the finest tributes twelve has seen in recent years- Haymitch and I helping them in any way and any means we-Haymitch- helping- means- please. Haymitch- help-ing me-ans- please-please Haymitch me me help. Help. Help! Haymitch! Help! Please!"

Her words are spliced and diced, pitched up and down and twisted around, as young game maker shows how, before the games begun, they trained a hundred birds to copy this tortured copy of her voice, in the event of the team twelve victors should wander into that section of the arena. Just as they have done now.

In the jungle, Haymitch has dragged the sobbing capital's darlings as close too the beach as he can only to encounter to the horrible see through wall that's blocking them from their two allies. By now Peeta's voice along with Mrs Everlarks and that of the young Hawthorne man have joined the noise of Annie and Prim's make believe pain and Haymitch is also becoming distressed but little team hold off as many of the birds off as they can.

Effie had thought never heard such pain in all her life or career. Not the jabberjays but from Katniss, crying and screeching as she kills as many birds as she can. Peeta leaps from his seat and despite his fake leg, he crashes on to his knees in front of the screen, yelling at Katniss it's not real. he desperate tries to communicate through the barrier of the screen and the hundreds of miles, just has Haymitch is trying to get word to a worried Joanna. It's then that Haymitch's own horror drops in to the fray.

"HELP! HELP ME! HAYMITCH! HAYMITCH! HELP ME! PLEASE! HAYMITCH!" cry the Effie birds, adding to the cacophony.

Effie realises she was wrong as Haymitch lets out a guttal roar- This was pain and rage. A love found then taken cruelly away. This was the empty helpless that until haunted their time together as mentor and escort leading children to their deaths. She feels it now as she can do nothing but watch the screen as her voice is baiting him to madness.

"What have you done?! What have you done to her?!" Haymitch howls and snarls, somehow heard above the din, clawing at the birds with his bare hands. "Let Her Go! LET EFFIE GO!"

"I'm safe. Haymitch I'm safe. " the real Effie whispers tears flowing down her cheeks as she stares wide eyed at the screen, staring at the TV, without even really watching, only hearing the noises. Silently crying, completely aware of the fact, that there's nothing she can do to stop Haymitch from screaming her name and running all over the place pathetically, ignoring the other tributes' voices shouting his name, trying to calm him down, and there are tears running down his face.

Katniss too reaches breaking point hands over her ears screaming and Peeta is all but sobbing into the thick pile carpet. Portia is next to him trying to sooth the boy and get the escort to snap of her hypnotised state but Effie can't tear her eyes from the screen and the man she loves with all her aching heart.

And when the hour is almost finally up, all three of Team Twelve's last free members are too in shock, too distracted to react when the peace keepers storm the apartment…


End file.
